The FFA trapshooting team has improved with two shooters ranked in the top 25 in the area for October. Those shooters were Shawn Riggs and King Archer.

  “We are definitely getting better,” FFA Advisor and Trap coach Stan Adler said.

  The FFA trapshooting team meets at the American Legion on Wildcat Drive every Tuesday at 4 p.m to practice shooting clay pigeons. Each shooter is allowed a twelve or twenty gage shot gun to shoot the orange round disks, called pigeons. The trap houses hold the pigeons, releasing them once the button is pressed by the coordinator, after the shooter yells “PULL!”  The shooter then aims and shoots the flying object, earning one point for each pigeon shot.

 The team attends about four shoots in the fall, giving them the practice they need before they compete for district and state levels in the spring. The team has competed in Sedalia and ranked second out of two teams. The last shoot until spring was scheduled for Dec. 16 at the Sedalia Rod and Gun Club.

  Shooters want to get better,and like it when they notice an improvement.

The top five shooters on each team are picked. These are the scores that will count towards the team.

  Junior Samantha Thompson likes to see herself beating her personal scores.

  Thompson is the only girl on the team, but she doesn’t let that bother her. She does have some advice for other girls.

  “Girls just need to not be afraid to go out for the team. The boys really aren’t that bad. Pretty dorky, but not bad, and who doesn’t want to shoot guns for fun?” Thompson said.

  This is Thompson’s first year on the trap team. There are several others who have been on the team for two or more years.

  Senior Derek Wright has been on the team for two years. He has gotten a good handle of how the competitions go. Wright plans on being on the team in the spring.

 Senior Shawn Riggs has been on the team for four years and encourages FFA members to join.

  “It’s a fun thing to try,” Riggs said. “It is free to go shoot at the Legion with the FFA. The only cost is for the ammo and entry fee for competitions. Neither is very much.”